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The things you buy and intend to return – but never do – are a very common form of clutter. Believe it or not, retailers are banking that you are going to keep your clutter. Ryan Fielding, a UT Doctoral Candidate conducted a study in 2016 indicating the longer we keep something we intend to return, the less likely we are to actually do so.
Many stores have a finite length of time they will accept returns, a practice recently adopted by Amazon as well. When our time runs up, we have no choice but to keep the stuff. Then it becomes clutter.
For most of us, the problem may be simply making the time to handle the return, whether it is mailing it or visiting a brick and mortar store. If you know you are not going to complete a return, do yourself a favor, and get rid of the item as soon as possible.
Sometimes you can turn unwanted items into gifts, while it might be best to donate other items like disposable diapers that are too small for your baby. Keeping these things around just takes up space and reminds you of the money you’ve wasted, which is never helpful.
The important thing is to get those items out of your space as quickly as you can. Taking the time and effort to remove unnecessary clutter is far more valuable than the money you might lose in not making the return.
Those bags that are riding around in your car, piling up in your mudroom or closet floor—we know you have them. It is time to make a decision and get it done.
The Housework and Clutter Equation
Have you ever given any consideration to how much your clutter...
